PEMRA postpone DTH license bidding

[mrsum1]

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)’s new Chairman Absar Alam ‎on Wednesday directed to immediately postpone the bidding process of Direct to Home (DTH) licences scheduled to be held on December 7.

The chairman also summoned an immediate meeting of the authority to review the bidding process and to seek an approval to postpone the bidding so that more companies can enter the bidding and the process can be made more transparent, a well placed source requesting anonymity told Pakistan Today. Another PEMRA meeting has been scheduled for Friday December 4, 2015.

Under the PEMRA law, the chairman cannot stop the bidding process and only the Authority can take any such decision.

This decision may postpone the injection of millions of dollars in foreign ‎direct investment in the form of DTH licence fees.

The source told Pakistan Today that Alam had summoned an urgent meeting of the authority to discuss the bidding and to get it stopped.

“During the meeting, Absar Alam said that acting chairman Kamal Tipu could not take any decisions on DTH licencing and that the entire process conducted by the authority had been in violation of the law.”

‎The source said that in their opinion, the authority and not the acting or full time chairman could take a decision in this regard under the law.

The new chairman told a meeting held on Wednesday that he had doubts over ‎the process adopted and that the authority needed to make it more transparent.

“During the meeting, former SC judge Justice (r) Ijaz Ahmed gave legal opinion to postpone the bidding due to legal flaws and pointed out that the Peer Review process had not been conducted,” the source said.

The meeting expressed displeasure that the former PEMRA acting chairman had ignored the advice of Board of ‎Investment (MoI) to allow more time so that more foreign investors could join the bidding process.

Another source pointed to hidden interests that may be actively trying to sabotage the process.

But PEMRA may also have shut the doors on legitimate media outfits that wanted to participate in the bidding process and the new PEMRA chairman was certainly not shy about pointing that out to the Authority’s top officials.

“The meeting was informed that a Chinese company, Star Times, China, had filed a request to enter the bidding but was disallowed by the PEMRA high ups,” the source said.

Earlier, PEMRA had shortlisted eight companies for participation in the bidding for DTH Licences scheduled to be held on December 7.

The short-listed companies include Sardar Builders (Pvt.) Limited, Parus Media & Broadcast (Pvt.) Limited, Mastro Media Distribution (Pvt.) Limited, HB DTH (Pvt.) Limited, M/s IQ Communications (Pvt.) Limited, Nayatel (Pvt.) Limited, Shahzad CGG (Pvt.) Limited and Sharif Feed Mills (Pvt.) Limited.

Earlier, the Information Ministry and PEMRA had entered into a spat over the DTH licencing bid, with the Ministry asking OGRA in increasingly stronger terms that it should cease the bidding process until the new PEMRA chief takes over. PEMRA had been dragging its feet telling the Information Ministry that the process had been going on for several months and that it could not be abandoned at this stage. But this just forced the Ministry to respond with sterner warnings and compliance directives.

An advertisement inviting applications for award of DTH licences was published in newspapers on September 10. An Information Memorandum containing eligibility criteria, Licence Terms and condition, application forms etc was made available online at PEMRA website http://www.PEMRA.gov.pk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

The last date for submission of applications for DTH licences was November 6. As many as 10 companies had submitted their applications/proposals by the closing date. The applications received were evaluated as per eligibility criteria stipulated in the DTH Regulations-2015 and the Information Memorandum uploaded on the PEMRA website.

According to sources, with the launching of DTH in Pakistan, the subscribers would have more access to high quality TV channels embedded with digital features like parental control, electronic programme guide, internet and video on demand.

Officials believe that DTH service would help in easier regulatory control besides addressing complaints of TV channels who were not finding adequate place on traditional analogue cable TV networks.

This technology will facilitate viewers to watch a large variety of uninterrupted programming in their homes. The initiation of this digital medium will also inject investment of billions of rupees in the country’s economy.

Officials believe that as a result of the DTH, more local and foreign TV channels could also apply for licences.

[FARRUKH]

PEMRA is half mental now. on one side they are posting ads in news papers for deadline of starting dth & other side this kind of stuff...

[Rizwan Awan]

Its quite expected, same that happened with 3G/4G

[Rahul_eyeofthebull]

I could predicted all of this you know. All of this. Mr. New Chairman just another corrupt person. There is no excuse when you first of all make a tender, collect applications from very trustee and well known companies, form a shortlist with most welthy candidates and then just stop everything with no explanation. Such a fake information which officially government clerks share with press and society has no basis on itself and consists only with ordinary words to waive uncertainty. I do believe that this Charman wouldn't hold his position for a long because of tentions accross this auction procedure from the side of participants and also sooner than later nation will rebel against such management. You see only which you get in real life for your joy is sport, television and family. And television nowadays is a driver of pleasure for mass people living in any country. I know that Pakistani society wants to watch national television but they cannot afford it because of no initiative from the government for placing it. Moreover, speaking about economic situation, right now in this minute TATA and Dish from India illegally collect money for subscriptions sharing their services all accross the Pakistan and they are doing it since years ago, if the situation would not change India will still steal money from Pak. I wish this situation will be resolved and new Chairman will do his best to start upgrading telecommunications in the country as soon as it possible. It will bring sasisfaction to society, money for government and expansion of telecommunication in Pak which is strategicly important and e.i. makes sence to national development, which is valuable from the face of international elithes and UTI as controlling body.

Your friend,

Rahul

[asadq1]

I think this process is going in the same way as many other fruitful project before of their start, i will have a long sleep in the files of office

[-=DREAMCS=-]

We all know the fast file work in Pakistan , approval from high ups. though I am a part of it.

[umerfarooq]

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